When the Texans brought Alex Gibbs out of retirement, they got more than an assistant recognized around the NFL as one of the best offensive line coaches in history.

The Texans also got a personality, a character, an educator.

Gibbs, 67, earned a master’s degree in European history at North Carolina.

In the offseason, Gibbs is a gourmet cook, a fanatical gardener, a mountain climber and a voracious reader.

During the season, Gibbs is a teacher and a screamer. The Texans should charge admission to watch him coach the linemen.

“You better get it right, or you’ll be driving for UPS,” Gibbs screams at one of his players.

“You look like a high school player,” he yells at another.

“Get back there and embarrass yourself,” he howls at a veteran who’s blown a technique.

The linemen have learned not to take it personally.

“He makes you get down and dirty until you like it,” right tackle Eric Winston said. “He wants you to stick your face in there and nail people. I guess you could say he gives you a gladiator mindset.

“Yeah, he’s loud and blunt, but we like it because we always know where we stand. You have to be tough mentally because it’s a psychological process. All the guys are different. I think he studies us to see how we learn, how we interact and who can take what.

“After a while, the screaming doesn’t really bother you. He’s just communicating. He gives it to us, but he likes us to give it back to him. We work real hard, but he makes it fun.”

When the Texans begin preseason tonight at Reliant Stadium against Denver, where Gibbs coached for 13 years, fans will get their first look at the running game he’s implemented since replacing Mike Sherman.

Questionable tactic

Wherever Gibbs coaches, controversy follows. He teaches cut blocking, which is legal but unethical, according to defensive linemen.

“I don’t like them giving me a head slap, but they do it. I don’t like it when they get their hands in my face, but they do that, too.”

During his career in Denver as a backup quarterback and offensive coordinator, Gary Kubiak worked with Gibbs.

“Alex is very passionate about what he’s doing,” Kubiak said. “He’s a hell of a coach who got away from football for a little bit, but that fire’s burning again.

“He has interesting ways of getting results out of players. He’s fun to watch, not only on the field but in the classroom.”

Kubiak hired Gibbs to improve an anemic running game and to help the offense become tougher mentally and physically.

“We think it’s (cut blocking) important that we do it to create running lanes,” Kubiak said. “It’s not like you can cut each other in practice. It’s a part of camp you just stay away from, so we try to simulate it on bags (blocking dummies).

“We need a lot of work in the preseason to get good at it. It’s hard to get good at it because you don’t cut in practice. You don’t want guys on the ground. Alex has a lot of drills that he uses, and we’ll see where we are (against the Broncos).”

No quarter given

Gibbs never changes his demanding, hard-nosed style.

“Playing for Alex is bittersweet,” left guard Chester Pitts said. “He gets after you and makes a lot of noise, but he makes you better.

“He has unbelievable energy, but it’s crazy because he doesn’t drink a lot of coffee, and he doesn’t drink Red Bull. He just wakes up in the morning, and he’s like a firecracker.

“All he wants is for us to get better and be successful. What more do you want from your coach? I love the guy, but sometimes, I’m like, ‘Alex, please, chill out. I’m tired. I can hardly breathe. Do you realize how big I am? I need my water. You better leave me alone.’ ”

Left tackle Ephraim Salaam, who is out at least three weeks after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery, played for Gibbs at Denver.

“For a young guy, he’ll make you want to jump off the roof,” Salaam said. “I’ve always said Alex will make you good, or he’ll make you gone.

“I love the guy. He knows what he’s doing, and he’s been doing this for a long time. He’s had some of the best offensive linemen, the best running backs and the best offenses in this league year in and year out.”

When Gibbs was the line coach at Denver, the Broncos always ranked among the top 10 in rushing and usually among the top five, no matter who blocked or who ran the ball. In his three years at Atlanta, the Falcons led the NFL in rushing each year.

Longtime relationship

Kyle Shanahan, who is in his first season as offensive coordinator, has known Gibbs since he was a child. His father, Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, was a Denver assistant with Gibbs from 1984-87. When Shanahan was hired as coach in 1995, he made sure Gibbs coached his line.

“Alex didn’t cuss around me as much then as he does now,” Kyle Shanahan said with a laugh. “I love to watch him coach. He makes the linemen want to kill him. He enjoys pushing people’s buttons because it makes them better.

“Everybody goes to his clinics to find out how he does it, but it’s no secret; it’s just a mentality.”